Screen Queensland is pairing up with Big Brother

Screen Queensland is pairing up with Big Brother

Screen Queensland is proud to be a financial supporter of Big Brother 2014 via its Production Incentive funding program due to the significant economic and employment benefits the television series brings to Queensland.

Big Brother launched on the Nine Network last night with a total reach of 2.45 million nationally including metro and regional viewers and ranking in the top 10 most watched programs for the night.

For the next 100 days, the television series will spend over $17 million in Queensland by the producers Endemol Australia and will employ over 300 people.

“It is crucial we support Big Brother as it plays a large role in the economic, employment and skills’ development opportunities to Queensland’s screen technicians,” said Screen Queensland CEO Tracey Vieira.

“Big Brother is a huge production and post-production employer and not only creates jobs but retains our valuable crew here in Queensland.

“This is vital so that we maintain a large, skilled crew-base and in turn attract other interstate and international productions to our state.”

Approximately 11,000 hours of footage will be recorded each week from which the team of producers and editors will have just 12 hours to compile a daily program, six days a week. All action in the house is being captured by 50 cameras and 92 microphones.

Cutting Edge is providing all technical infrastructure of both the broadcast and post production elements with 22 Avid edit suites being housed at Big Brother and many in use at the same time.

Filmed at Dreamworld on the Gold Coast, it is not only the direct benefits to the Queensland screen industry that will result from the production but also the flow on effects of the series including stimulating cultural tourism and facilitating cultural engagement.

Big Brother is a major tourist attraction. Dreamworld expects more than 20,000 people to tour around the production site and more than 10,000 people to attend the live eviction shows throughout the series.

Other indirect impacts of the production are its linkages to other sectors of the economy with local organisations in the areas of security, transport, construction and accommodation to commercially benefit from the production.

Big Brother is the latest in back-to-back screen activity, which is positioning Queensland as the premier filming destination in Australia. Domestic production has increased from $33 million in 2012-13 to $42 million in 2013-14, an increase of 27%.

Last week, another television series called the Hiding, wrapped from shooting two weeks of its eight-part television drama series in and around the Gold Coast. Screen Queensland supported this project with $151,000 in Production Investment funding.

Produced by Playmaker Media for the ABC, the Hiding stars Queensland’s James Stewart (Packed to the Rafters) as part of its impressive cast.

Playmaker is behind other popular television series such as Love Child and House Husbands and picked up an AWGIE Award last week as presented by the Australian Writers Guild for their television series, The Code.